P&C Real Life Party: Hot Pink Damask

When I plan a party, I usually begin months in advance with ideas and mood boards and lists and obsessing... attention to detail. So when I saw that Heather (at Party Tinkers) had only one week to plan, I was truly impressed with the beautifully detailed party she put together.

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Hot Pink and Damask Party

I was recently was asked (less than a week before the party) if I could come up with some decorations for a small get together for a girl adult birthday. Well, this is what I came up with thanks to the customizable printables I purchased from Paper and Cake!!! (Unfortunately, I forgot my nice fancy camera and had to use my little point and shoot camera I keep in my purse, so the pictures didn't come out real good). I absolutely love the pink and black damask print, don't you?!?

I purchased this adorable picture frame from Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off...can't pass a deal like that up!!! I used the "napkin rings" from the paper printables I purchased and wrapped them around these white candles for a little accent piece.

Drink table!

I used cordinating scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby as place mats for all the food dishes.

Considering the time frame I had to work with, I think it came out not to shabby!!!

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Inspiration: Fancy Plates to Dress Up Your Tablescape

I am totally and completely obsessed with refurbished vintage china these days... I love mixing it in with real china or plain dinnerware for a whimsical tablescape.

Here are some of my favorites, real and refurbished...

top row: antique Limoges, Eddie Ross, 

second row: Nina in Vorm, Chinoiserie Decoupage, De Vicennes 

bottom row: PiP Studio at Liberty, John Derrian, Lou Rota

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Halloween Recipe: Troll's Ears

Its always fun to figure out how to make everyday foods fun for Halloween. This year, my kids and I came up with these silly Troll's Ears for a goofy Kid's Halloween Party treat.

Ingredients

• petite palmiers (available at Trader Joe's)
• spray food coloring in green (I love the ColorMist from Wilton)
• green gel icing (optional)
• hoop or loop earrings (not edible)

* Lay some newspaper on your work surface (the spray food coloring has a fairly wide spray range).

* Set out the palmiers, and spray lightly.

* With the gel frosting, outline a little bit of the inner ear

* Decorate a few with earrings (this makes them really look like Troll's Ears!)

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Holiday Craft: Paper Halloween Village

Every year I print out a little paper village for Halloween. You can too with these three free printable templates; the Creepy Casa, Haunted House, and Maniacal Mansion.

They look best with glitter roofs. Just assemble the houses per instructions, then apply craft glue to the rooftops and glitter ~ easy. 

You can also make little tombstones or crows out of black construction paper. 

Boo!

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P&C Real Life Party: Football Season is Here!

Please don't tell anyone, but, I am not really a huge fan of sports. At all. But had Laurie (from Busy Bee Birthday Shop) invited me to this party, I totally would have come! And maybe even  dressed in team colors, I'm going to have to google this team first - Redskins, right?

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It's Football Time!

My husband grew up back east though and is a BIG Redskins fan. Since we don't get to see too many Redskins games on TV out here on the west coast, he was so excited that their season opener was on TV out here that we decided to host a Redskins party last night with some good friends to kick off football season. I seriously can't believe I did all that work for a football game that the Chargers weren't even playing in... just joking, I love the guy and I love hosting parties, so it was all worth it. Plus the Redskins beat the Cowboys... ahhh, icing on the cake!

I made this banner and the other printables from the Game Day collection from  paperandcake.com. This is the 2nd time I've used one of their printable parties and I LOVE them! I loved being able to edit the text with the printables. We used my husband's football pictures from when he was a kid as part of the decorations!   We had two galvanized drink tubs... one for the adult drinks and one for the kid drinks.

The touchdown tea from the Rookie tub was a big hit!

One of my favorite party details was the green astroturf runner! These little labels marked all the food for the RED Skin potato bar.

For dessert I made chocolate rice krispy footballs and Red Velvet cupcakes (since it was a RED Skins party after all!) It was a great night with wonderful friends and I wish the Redskins a great season... almost as good of a season as I hope the Chargers have. Go Bolts! And Redskins :)

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Inspiration Board: Monster Mash or It's Alive!

Can't decide between a Monster Mash theme or It's Alive! theme for the kids this year.  I did love the Monster Mash song when I was a kid (oh, shut up, you did too!) and FrankenBerry, BooBerry & Count Chocula cereals (which we only got on Halloween Day by the way). But, I also really loved the animated movie Igor and brightly colored gross things in jars sounds like a lot of fun...

(I'll likely use our Trick or Treat Printable Party which is mostly purple, black and lime for parts of either party, because the Frankenstein is so darn cute and he goes with both themes dontcha think?)

What's your vote?

MONSTER MASH

top row: monster zipper pouch, monster pops, cupcakes

bottom row: monster mash, archee mcphee's finger puppets, frankenberry cereal

IT'S ALIVE!

top row: kids mad science lab, gummy brains, crazy kid's mad lab equipment

bottom row: Igor, gross stuff in jars, petri dish jell-o

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Halloween Recipe: Batwings & Cobwebs

First, let me say that I totally stole this recipe from the fab culinary geniuses at Every Day Food.  Second, its become one of my kids' favorite Fall staples... when I bring out the Batwings & Cobwebs, they know its time to start putting together the Halloween costumes!

Its a really simple mid-week dinner, but the bat-shaped pasta and melty cheese (aka cobwebs) make it super fun.

Ingredients (note: this is my version, but you can see the original recipe here)

• 1/2 pound farfalle pasta
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1/4-/12 cup pasta sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• kosher salt
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (1 3/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook & drain pasta.  Set aside.
• Saute tomatoes & sauce,  oregano, and sugar for 5 minutes. 
• Add pasta,and half the mozzarella; toss to combine. Transfer to a medium baking dish.  
• Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until cheese is melted and top is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

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New Party! Bouncy Balls Birthday Bash

Bounce ~ Bounce ~ Bounce! Got a Bouncing Baby Boy or Girl? Celebrate their Birthday with lots of Balls:  big ones, tiny ones, red ones, shiny ones...  You can also make your Big Kid's Bounce House Party the coolest on the block with this bright and whimsical, Printable Bouncy Ball Birthday Bash!

New in this party is a Themed Backdrop! Have you seen the beautiful tablescapes from Amy Atlas? She is well known for designing matching wall coverings for the area behind her dessert tables. Ours is made by printing out full 8.5x11" sheets of the bouncy ball pattern, and tiling them together to form a "curtain" of pattern. One of the sheets can be customized to include the birthday child's name - and the whole backdrop can be put together using tape, ribbon or pipe cleaners.

In this set:

1. Invitation (fits A7 envelope) +
2. Thank You/Envelope
3. Birthday Gift Log
4. Cupcake Picks +
5. Water Bottle Labels +
6. Favor Tags +
7. Dessert Buffet Tags +
8. Party Hats
9. Snack Boxes +
10. Penant Banner +
11. Themed Backdrop +
12. Full Pattern Sheet

Did you know that the items with a + sign have text boxes that can be easily personalized using Acrobat Reader (a free download from Adobe.com)? Each collection has detailed instructions and recommendations.

Have questions on how something is put together? 

Need more party advice? Leave a comment! 

And please... tell a friend!

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P&C Real Life Party: Back to School

Dawn of "Not Just a Mommy" fame, used our Back to School Printables to throw one final bash before jumping for joy her precious children went back to school. How did she do it you ask? Well, careful planning, tons of inspiration, and a helpful little voice inside her head. Read her full post here, or browse the Cliff's Notes version below...

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Back to School Bash 2010

It came, it went, it was awesome. Our last hurrah for the summer, our annual Back To School Bash. It's really just a glorified playdate with friends we didn't get a chance to spend alot of time with. My boys are apparently in high demand and should quit school altogether and just be socialites.

I couldn't wait to share the pix, it was so much fun to put together. I have a Favorites folder full of inspiration and I wanted to use them all, but alas there was just no room.

Must every party include paper straws? That's a big 10-4 good buddy! And what, you say, is that runner made of? Why yes, it is real chalkboard cloth. No one believed me that it was, but I found it at Jo-Ann's, it comes on a bolt just like any cloth. I've had it for awhile with big dreams of putting a ribbon edging on it and make it an 'official' runner, but eh.

And since we all know the trick to an appealing table is having different heights, I figured nothing would be more appropriate than using some of our favorites books.

And double shout-outs to Paper & Cake, I used their too-fun Back To School collection for my water bottle wraps, veggie fries containers and labels for the applesauce cups. They had so much stuff that comes with the download, but I just couldn't use it all. I was having a hard time reeling in the crazy and I had to draw the line.

I was going to make strips from their printed paper to wrap the sandwiches in, but that little voice in my head (which is getting littler by the day) said 'STOP. STEP BACK FROM THE PRINTER AND DROP THE SCISSORS, YOU ARE INSANE'. So I put it under them instead.

How could I not have Trader Joe's Schoolbook Cookies and alphabet tater-tots? The bags in the back were serving double duty as decor and favors. I wanted to have the flash card match with each guest's name, but we had 3 T names, so not everyone could. See how the crazy doesn't stop?

We asked each guest to bring a gently loved book for a book swap, which is a great way to get a new book or two without buying anything. I wanted to read Countdown To Kindergarten since several friends are starting this year, and it's the little one's fav, but alas, time flies when you're having fun!

Thanks again ladies for another great kickoff to the new school year!

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Inspiration Board: SteamPunk Halloween

Ever since I taught about the movement in my Fashion Theory Class years ago, I've been fascinated by Steampunk Subculture. And since I also LOVE Halloween, this year I'm throwing a Steampunk-Style Halloween Bash! Here's my inspiration...

top row: creepy, but elegant dessert table, decorated with black doilies, steampunk pumpkin

second row: Martha (who I know is not anywhere near steampunk, but her spooky victorian equestrian costume is), victorian-ish skull cufflinks, spooky libation labels

third row: steampunk skeleton jewelry, invitation inspiration, gears gears and more gears

last row: creepy corset, yuck in apothecary jars, steampunk silhouettes

For the decor I want to stick to victorian elements (black lace, doilies, antiqued labels, etc...) with the addition of metal & machinery (gears, watch parts, keys, etc...) wherever possible.

Haven't decided on food or activities yet...any ideas?

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Party Recipe: Game Day Pastrami 'Tizer

While I have nothing against Wings and Chips on Game Day, sometimes its nice to do an old favorite with an unexpected twist.

Here's a super fast Pastrami on Rye appetizer with a twist!

Ingredients:

• Long Breadsticks (if you can find rye or multigrain, more the better)
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced pastrami
• 1 bunch arugula leaves
• Thousand Island Dip or Dressing (store bought works fine)

Hold 2-3 arugula leaves on the breadstick. Wrap with a strip of pastrami (the pastrami will stick to itself so the whole thing holds together.) Serve with thousand island dip and a good beer!

Yes, its that easy; and y'all know how much I Iove food on a stick!

Try with our Game Day Party Collection to make your next Football Game even better!

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Party Craft: Pom Mobile

I've always been a fan of poms; I like the giant tissue ones, tiny yarn ones and every kind of pom in between. A few years ago I made a bunch of fairly large yarn poms for my son's preschool class ~ they were really time consuming, so I've resisted venturing into pom-land since. But I've always wanted to see if I could do something other than tissue or yarn...and do it easily and quickly.

And then....I found...The POM Maker! It is priced under $7.00 and I was able to put together a pom in about 3 minutes... I used ribbon, lace, and knit fabric! Here's how I did it...

supplies: 

• pom maker (I used the 3")
• scissors
• yarn or knit fabric cut into 1" 1/2 yard long strips, spool of ribbon (2 at 18' each)
• embroidery floss

1. Separate the two halves of the pom maker

2. Fold out two of the side-by-side arms and align so they match up

3. Starting at the inner end, wind the ribbon (or fabric or yarn) around the arms moving back and forth until you're out of ribbon

4. Close the first set of arms and repeat with the second set

5. Thread a length of embroidery floss in between the two halves of the pom maker, pull tight and tie in a double knot

6. Cut the ribbon down the center of the two arms on each side

7. Slowly pull the arms away from the ribbon

8. Fluff and trim your pom

It sounds a little bit complicated, but once you've done one, the rest go very quickly.

Ribbon (anything under 1/2" wide), lace, and knits work really well!

I'm thinking of doing a Halloween Pom Grotto in October... can you imagine?!

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P&C Real Life Party: Sail Away 2nd Birthday

Sarah Keeth, the very pregnant author of the sometimes scholarly blog KeethInk.com, used our Sail Away set for her sons 2nd birthday party. I am beside myself with just how cute that bowl of jello is! Oh the craftiness! Oh, the super cuteness! Ahem, um anyway, here is some of what she had to say:

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Motherhood as Performance: the Two Year old Party

I threw a party for my son’s second birthday with a sailboat theme.
-I made everything myself.
-I took all the photos myself (I’m obviously not a professional photographer).
-Entire party budget was less than $200.
-I’m seven months pregnant.
-I’ve clearly lost my mind.

Almost all of the cute printables are from Paper & Cake (I made a few complementary ones myself.) Printing your own partyware is cheap and rewarding, but you do need to start well in advance.

From the Paper & Cake printable: I printed the napkin rings on sticker paper and used them to label the water bottles. Tip: take the original label off first.

Here’s the sweet birthday boy with me & DH.
I. Am. So. Pregnant.
Also, I need to get my hair done.

Please look at the cute boys and the cute table instead of me.

I used Paper & Cake’s directions to make pinwheels, but I made them out of big 12×12 scrapbook paper and attached them to dowels with a staple gun. They are in cute little buckets filled with sand. (Cute buckets found at Target’s dollar bin.) I tried putting florist foam in the buckets, but it wasn’t heavy enough and DH ran to Lowe’s for sand at the last minute. Luckily, we live two blocks from Lowe’s.

Found the best prices on the requisite paper straws on Ebay.
Really wanted the cute whirly pops, too, but they just didn’t fit in the budget.

On the far left: fishbowl jello and some dolphin-shaped pb&j’s. I found the sandwich cutter at Buy Buy Baby for $2.99. I used the Paper & Cake boat placecards as food labels (note the boat “floating” on top of the jello).

 Sandy cinnamon muffins, AKA Pioneer Woman’s French Breakfast Puffs. Thankfully, there were some of these left over for breakfast the next morning.

Did I mention I made all the food? I think that was a crazy choice. But it tasted good.

I didn’t make the chips, or the goldfish. Just bought those. These are the Paper & Cake printable snack boxes.

I made the cake, too. Covered with marshmallow fondant. A tip I might use for next year: You can go to your local grocery store bakery and order a plain frosted cake in the shape of your choice. Then you can decorate it, which is the fun part, without messing with all the layers and so forth.

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More tips and tricks are available on her original post, found here. Thanks so much Sarah!

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